Vietnam and Cambodia! February 8th, 2018 - February 13th, 2018

(Adventures in China Coming in a Separate Blog Post Soon!)

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam – February 8, 2018

Participating in the SAS Life Along the Mekong River and Cambodia program. Our group is small which will be nice. Last night we spent some time talking about our expectation for the trip which includes guidelines for drinking (drink okay; not drunk), and being on time (on time is 5 minutes early, oh no!) Hopefully, this will lay the groundwork for a good trip.

Today we traveled for what seemed like forever by bus from HCMC to Vinh Long, a little town by a tributary of the Mekong River. Lots of small houses and stores along the roadway as we traveled. It reminded of the many long trips we took through Indonesia (without the mosques). It was quite a contrast to HCMC which could be confused for NYC with its large skyscrapers and French architecture.

Vinh Long was bustling with activity as they are preparing for the lunar new year, Tet. Chrysanthamums are apparently symbols of prosperity so there were bucket after bucket for sale by the roadside in addition to large pots of flowers being carried by scooter to people’s homes.




Scooters are the main means of transportation which means whole families climb aboard. I was captured by a little boy who looked less than 3 who sat on a parked scooter waiting for his family member to finish a purchase. His balance was perfect and he was totally nonchalant. After a lengthy (and somewhat unnecessary) wait at an ATM, we boarded a boat that took us to our final destination, a homestay at Ut Trinh.







The house was beautiful, open air with intricate ivory inlay in the columns in the front living area. Not surprisingly given the heat, there is a roof but no walls. This was where we had dinner. I stayed in a room directly behind the living area. More bedrooms had been added along a courtyard behind this room that enabled it to to host tour groups. The kitchen was also open and nearby.

Each bedroom had a dense foam mattress on a canopy bed with mosquito netting that dropped down from the sides. We were warned to use the netting—not because of malaria (which we are all taking medication for) but Denge fever. I used the nets!



The stay included our learning how to put together a spring roll which was a lot of fun. They cut their vegetables with a crimper style knife (like French fries). I thought it might be to make things look pretty, but I appreciated later that it made chop sticks easier! When we asked what was in the spring roll, I was interested that they specified “chicken eggs” and later appreciated that they regularly eat so many different kinds of eggs that it needs to be specified.

Our dinner included an elephant ear fish which is served standing in a wooden holder as if it is still swimming through the water. It was very tasty and easy to serve as we used our chopsticks to gently pull the fish off the skeleton.

Mekong River travel, Vietnam – February 9, 2018

We were all quite travel-weary as we had started our journey pretty early. Our guide encouraged us by telling us what a treat we would be in for at our next hotel, built into a hillside with a beautiful sunset to view. Unfortunately, we were delayed for quite some time because of a back-up at the ferry we needed to take. Our guide noted that we were among the last who would be taking this trip by ferry. It was also clear that the roadside would be changed once that traffic became more prevalent and access to this area was easier. I felt a bit sad thinking of the changes that were to come although it means more prosperity to the people who live there. Progress: a bridge, not a ferry. The trip will never be quite the same.

Phenom Penh, Cambodia – February 10, 2018

After dinner we were treated to traditional music, which is something like “don ca tai tu “ (with lots of accents over the letters). It was fun to hear the unique instruments and they threw in a few familiar songs to make us feel at home. In the background we could hear some local music being blasted over a loud speaker. Apparently gathering with friends and family in the evening is still the predominant form of entertainment in the evening. We wondered how they knew what music everyone would enjoy. (Again, it reminded me of hearing Muslim prayers played over loud speakers in Indonesia, but at least this was not 5 am)



After a cold shower (but in a beautiful shower stall) and a delicious breakfast, we climbed aboard our small, covered boat for a trip along the Tien River, one of two tributaries of the Mekong River. We had a chance to walk through a local market where locals sell their freshly butchered pigs, chickens and eggs, fish (kept alive in small pools of water so they will be fresh), pastries, and rice and grains.

Our next stop was to board some “cross-bow” boats paddled by women who took us through a picturesque canal area. We were able to take in the local scenery of homes (in the US we might call them shacks), see people doing everyday tasks like laundry, notice fruits like Jack fruit growing on trees, and so forth. As we neared the end of the canal, houses grew more western in their style and some were quite grand. Apparently, these are areas that have begun to be more populated by wealthier citizens.

One of the students on the ship has a fashion and travel blog and is posting “live reports” as he goes. He’s got a mega camera with an intimidating microphone, is dressed to the nines, and poses/reports from each stop. It would be gross if he weren’t such a nice guy. I sat behind him in the crossbow boats so he asked me to take a picture as he turned around on the bow of the boat. You might catch me on his blog Milemen -- or not.

At the other end of the canal we re-boarded our boat and continued on our journey, enjoying some coconut milk and a meal that had been prepared by our cook at the front of our open-air, covered boat on a little stove with a wok. Very taste-y! Our trip ended at Sa Dec with a visit to a little flower market with lots of beautiful orchids, bonsai, and other flowers.



Then once again we boarded a bus for another long leg of travel with more glimpses of roadside Vietnam life. One fun stop was at a market to use the “happy room” as our guide called it (because everyone is happy after they’ve used a bathroom) where we were able to purchase local snacks and (YUM) an ice cream cone. Our guide pointed out some coconut rice candy that was made in her small town on the Mekong River delta which I bought. It had some durian fruit in it I notice on the package contents. For those who haven’t encountered Durian, it is quite smelly and people seem to have different reactions to its flavor. For those who are fans, they love it. I’ll share some when I get home and let you decide for yourself.

Alas, the sunset we saw was from the ferry – and not so miraculous.

Before arriving at the hotel, we had a chance to visit Mieu Be Chua Xu which is a temple honoring one of the female gods in the area. People journey long distances to visit this shrine and make offerings to this goddess of prosperity. If their requests are granted, they donate gifts in her honor so there was a large room of beautiful pearls, jades, and gold pieces that had been donated. The pagoda itself was beautiful as it was lit up and we could watch as people offered roast duck and lit incense as they worshiped.

Then on to our hotel, in the dark. It was indeed beautiful. My room was down a steep staircase to a lower terrace. I had a balcony that looked out over the valley and the stars were beautiful above. But we hadn’t had dinner yet. We had a lovely meal, but apparently our late arrival had thrown them off. It took about 3 hours until all the courses had been served. Such a long day and we had to be up and checked out by 6 am. The sky was just getting light as we left this beautiful hotel so barely had a chance to see into the valley.

This was one of those moments in a journey when you take what comes your way, appreciate all that is good, and try not to focus on the “what ifs.” This would be a lovely place to return to someday to experience in its full glory!

Traveling again today, this time by speed boat along the Mekong River. The ship has interior seating with windows looking out on either side. There is a back section that is open for a small number of people who want the full view, although some found it a little too close to the engine.

The river is huge, much wider than I had imagined. Mostly there is vegetation on each side, but occasional tiny buildings or huts. From time to time we would see a couple of “houses” clustered together, typically with a pipe extending from the land down the riverbank. I am presuming this was their plumbing system.

There were many small fishing boats along the river – long and sleek in shape. Most all of them have eyes painted on the front. Our guide told us that at one time there had be alligators (or is it crocodiles?) in the river, and the eyes were on the boats to protect them from the alligators and keep the bad spirits away.

We traveled for a couple of hours before reaching the border of Vietnam and Cambodia. Everyone climbed of the boat to go through immigration, then back on for a short distance, then off again to officially enter Cambodia.

Then off we went speeding toward Phenom Penh. The landscape continued to be very similar to what we’d seen in Vietnam with slight shifts in the vegetation, then dramatically we could see the buildings of Phenom Penh come into view. It was amazing to have this modern city emerge from nowhere.



Phenon Penh was bustling and filled with tourists in the area we were in. We had lunch at a nice restaurant, but could clearly feel the English influence. No more chop sticks. We had a little time to wander in the nearby stores before heading to the Cheung Ek killing field.

My own knowledge of the Khmer Rouge genocide is fairly limited, so I am assuming this may be true for you. In 1975, shortly before the fall of Saigon bring the Vietnam war to the end, the Khmer Rouge defeated the American-backed Cambodian President and marched into Phenom Penh. In an attempt to create a pure, self-sufficient peasant class, the KR attempted to rid the country of its urban and educated classes. There was mass genocide with at least 1.7 million people dying of starvation, forced labor, disease, torture and execution. The Khmer Rouge was drive from power by a Vietnamese invasion in 1979.

To give you a sense of the scale, there were 9,000 bodies excavated from the Cheung Es killing field. How sad it was to walk through this now beautiful area, view the areas where the slaughtering occurred, including a tree where children were tortured, and see the central monument with skulls literally stacked one above the other behind glass for the height of the building. It was the first of several times on this visit that I found myself grappling with the question of how people can be so cruel to other people. There are apparently many other killing fields within the area; this one has been recreated as a memorial.

Somberly we went on to our next stop, the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, which had been a high school before it was confiscated and made into a detention center known as S21. We were able to meet one of the remaining survivors, Chum Mey, who volunteers here and has written a book describing his experiences. He wants the victims of this atrocity to be remembered and for his story to remind people not to repeat this history. Chum Mey has one of those wrinkled faces that contains both deep wisdom and a smile that emanates love which I found extra remarkable given his life’s journey.

We walked through the building which had retained the individual cells with small windows – if they were lucky. Lots of people had been held in each stall. I thought of the cells of our AVP men in Maryland.

There were boards with faces of men and women wearing numbers in mug shots—so many young faces. The eyes were haunting. Some with fear, others with curiosity. I found myself wondering what each person was thinking at the time the shot was taken.

In one building, they had created a display with individual people’s stories and showed pictures of people as they were released – basically just bones with skin on top. So many people perished. Once again, how can people be so cruel to other people? What allows us to do this?

We ended the day at the airport with a flight to Siem Reap to begin our visit of the temples.

The lobby of our hotel in Siem Reap.

Siem Reap, Cambodia – February 11, 2018

Siem Reap was a lovely little town, although somewhat overtaken by tourists. Fortunately, we had a trip scheduled to a nearby village to learn about the work of HUSK, an NGO founded by a couple from Australia who moved to the area with interest in building the capacity of this community. In conjunction with the community, they have created opportunities for the children to go to school, developed sweat equity home building programs, and capitalize on tourist interest to offer lunch visits and sell local crafts.



We spent about 45 minutes walking throughout the village, meeting a few of the people, watching the children play, learning about their water filter program, learning about how homes are built and absorbing village life. It was clear that overall the people in the village are still quite poor, but that there were small but positive things happening in the community.



I was positively impressed by the little bits I heard about HUSK’s philosophy. The teachers from the school are from the community. The guide says that as soon as there is someone from the community that can take his job, he will leave it. He also said that they do not take monetary donations without expecting some kind of engagement with the community. In fact, we were supposed to be doing some work in the community but for a variety of reasons that did not happen.

It was really fun to see the school which had been built with walls that used plastic bottles (very prevalent because they are used for clean water) filled with soil to insulate it. It seemed like a clever way to recycle those bottles. They had also installed solar panels and were able to run several computers for the children to learn on by using car batteries to store electricity.

We had a chance to purchase some of the handicrafts from the women who were there as we shopped. It was fun to interact with them despite the lack of language.

We headed back to the hotel late morning to rest a bit before our afternoon plans. It was a delightful opportunity for me to take a dip in their outdoor pool and swim some laps!

After another yummy lunch at a local restaurant, we headed to the Angkor Wat temple, one of the 7 wonders. It is ancient. It is huge. It is stunning. It is important to Cambodia – enough so that it is the symbol on the Cambodian flag.



The guide told us that typically temples are built for one of 3 gods: Shiva (God of Destruction); Vishnu (God of protection); or Brahma (God of Creation). Angkor Wat was built for Vishnu, a bit unique. It also is the only temple that faces West.

It apparently took 30 years to build, but even that seems astonishing. Apparently, it was initially inspired by Hinduism but later became home to Buddhist monks who have occupied it continuously since. It is an enormous complex, assembled from massive boulders and has intricate carvings over many facades. There is a story of the Churning of the Sea of Milk famously described in one of the facades, which I would google now to learn if I had access to internet. Forgive me for a fractured version: the gods and demons agreed to work together to churn the great ocean into milk and used serpents wrapped around the mountain to froth it. This caused the mountains to sink into the ground. Then the demons stole the nectar--which offered the power of eternal life—but the gods retrieved it just in time, except that one demon, Rahu, had taken a sip. His head is immortal (this is what causes eclipses.) The gods drank the rest and are immortal …. That’s all I got.



It was a grand place to wander through. There were several levels, but not time to go to the very top because of long lines. I stayed with our guide as I walked who was surprisingly willing to talk about the politics in Cambodia right now. He was very positive about the US; less so about Vietnam and there was definite negative sentiment about China. He was not a fan of the current prime minister who has been in power for quite a while and said that a few weeks ago that the opposition opponent was arrested. He said that Cambodians around the world are protesting, but that they cannot protest in their country. He seemed to think that it was unlikely that there would be an election this year even though there is supposed to be one, because the current prime minister doesn’t have enough support to win. (Makes sense, right? Can’t be voted out of office if you don’t have an election.) I am in a news blackout, so would be interested to know if anything is making it to the US about this situation.

There were monks in their robes around the temple. Many are young boys who are training in the ways of Budhism. The SAS religion teacher said that he heard that it is a bit of rite of passage for boys. Many get trained in the teachings of Buddhism, although fewer stay in to be monks long-term.

There are monkeys on the grounds who apparently take delight in grabbing things from visitors. We watched as a monkey darted up behind a woman, yanked her bag of fruit from her hand, and tore away to feast on his prize. We all laughed because it was so quick, there was nothing that could be done to stop it.



We had a chance to do a little shopping at the shops at the edge of the temple before heading back, exhausted, to the hotel. A small group of us rallied around 7 pm and took some tuk-tuks (sp?), small carriages pulled by a motorbike, into the “Night Market” which is brim full of restaurants and stores at night. Everyone had a hankering for some “home food,” pizza, so we devoured 3 large pizzas with a tall glass of beer, arriving safely home and falling into bed about 9:30 pm. Tomorrow, sunrise at Angkor Wat!

More Temples, Siem Reep, Cambodia – February 12, 2018

Our last day in Cambodia began with tuk-tuk rides at 6:30 AM through the streets of Siem Reap to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat. This is apparently a popular ritual but one that works best on the solstices when the sun actually comes up behind the temple. Nonetheless, we watched the sky bloom into pinks as the sun rose with a beautiful reflection in the small lake in front. Definitely a memorable moment.

We returned to our hotel for breakfast and then off for a bike ride toward the Angkor Thom temple. It felt wonderful to be out of motorized transportation and cycling along the path by trees. We stopped at one point to pet the elephants that give tourist rides (not popular with animal activists, I hear, although there didn’t seem to be any sharp objects being used with these guys) then continued on to the temple.

Apparently it is thought that there were more than 2,000 temples built in Angkor area in the 9th-12th century. The temples were built here as the center of what was then a large Khmer empire. Once the French took over the area, they were mostly abandoned. Stone were brought from the mountains on the river and brought to the site by oxcarts and elephants.

Khmer (i.e., Cambodian) King Jayavarman VII was responsible for many of the temples built in this area, along with hospitals and universities in the late 12th or early 13th century. He built one for his mother and another for his father. (Children, take note!)

After visiting Angkor Thom, we went to Ta Prohm, another temple, built as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Ta Prohm is one of the better known temples (and on the UNESCO World Heritage list) because it is in much the same condition as it was found when it was re-discovered. There are large trees and roots growing out of the large boulders with a profound reminder of the power of nature to overcome manmade structures. On a more modern note, the students were talking about a movie, Tomb Raider, with Angelina Jolie that was filmed here and her experience led her to adopt a Cambodian child.




Our afternoon was visiting 3 more temples, each very unique: Preah Khan, Neak Pean, and Pre Rup temples. We had to cross a small lagoon to reach Neak Pean and the temple sat in the middle of a small pond. Later, we climbed to the top of Pre Rup to watch the sun go down. Plane flights required us to leave before the sun was completely down, but the view and quiet sitting was beautiful nonetheless.



Lots of temples for one day, but each so different, each requiring so much manpower to build, each filled with history and stories that are only partially captured.

Back home to the ship at midnight.

Vietnam – February 13, 2018

Up and out early to try to see a little of Ho Chi Minh City before we leave Vietnam. RDs Sarah and Dallawrence with his wife Cynthia and I Uber-ed to the War Remnants Museum which was a fascinating and disturbing display of the Vietnam War from the perspectives of Vietnam, photojournalists from around the world, and countries other than the U.S. There were blatant references to the US as a perpetrator of war crimes, displays of the effects of the Agent Orange we used to defoliate much of the country and which continues to cause birth defects into the 4th generation after it was used, and the US policies that perpetuated our involvement.

The booklet I got there describes the “War Crimes” area as “Exhibiting the evidence of crime of the US War of aggression to Vietnamese people from persecution torture, murder and massacre, to bombing innocent people’s hoes, villages, hospitals, schools causing casualty and damage to Vietnamese people.” Not a proud moment to claim I am from the US.

Apparently, there have been lawsuits against some of the makers of the chemicals (e.g., Desantos (sp)) to help US soldiers who were affected by the Agent Orange and some retribution to other countries who supported our war, but not for the Vietnamese. Where is our accountability?

Our next stop was to Pho 2000 for the classic dish – flavorful broth and rice noodles with crunch bean sprouts, onions, peppers, fresh basil and lime. It was delicious. On to the local market with booth after booth of anything you could possibly want to buy and then some. Lots of “knock off” US manufacturers for clothing, purses, etc. It would help if I had some fashion knowledge to appreciate the “great prices,” but instead I wandered with the others just taking it all in. I did buy a little chocolate to pass out for Valentine’s Day – didn’t bargain enough on that one, oops. It’s hard for me to do quick calculations when the exchange rate is 22,000 to $1. I got in on some bargaining that Dallawrence and Cynthia did on some coffee though. They are really good at the negotiating. Hoping to build that “muscle” before getting to Morocco and other places where bargaining is standard practice.

Many people decided to get suits made in Vietnam. We stopped by one of the shops to pick up coats that were ready for some staff and I got to see the beautiful materials they were using. I don’t have much need for that kind of clothing at this point, but I certainly understand why men would have suits made. Dallawrence had 3 suits made and since the shop now has his measurements, he can order additional ones on-line and have them sent to him. Small world.

Our time ran out quickly and we had to get back to the ship to help with check-in but treated ourselves to some Hagen Das ice cream before taking an Uber back. It was a yummy treat in the hot, hot weather: Baviarian chocolate and coffee. Highly recommended.